Vinícius Souza

In this Portuguese name, the first or maternal family name is de Souza and the second or paternal family name is Costa.

Vinícius de Souza Costa (born 17 June 1999) is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Bundesliga club VfL Wolfsburg.

Vinícius Souza

Vinícius with Espanyol in 2022
Personal information
Full name	Vinícius de Souza Costa[1]
Date of birth	(1999-06-17) 17 June 1999 (age 26)
Place of birth	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Height	1.87 m (6 ft 2 in)
Position(s)	Defensive midfielder
Team information
Current team	VfL Wolfsburg
Number	5
Youth career
2014–2019	Flamengo
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2019–2020	Flamengo	8	(0)
2020–2023	Lommel	18	(0)
2021–2022	→ Mechelen (loan)	32	(2)
2022–2023	→ Espanyol (loan)	34	(1)
2023–2025	Sheffield United	71	(1)
2025–	VfL Wolfsburg	0	(0)
International career‡
2017	Brazil U20	3	(0)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 5 May 2025 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 17:17, 26 October 2019 (UTC)

Career

Early career

Born and raised in Padre Miguel, neighborhood of Rio de Janeiro, Vinícius arrived at Flamengo in 2014 to play in the club's under 15 team approved by coach Zé Ricardo. In the youth team, he played alongside Matheus Thuler and Lincoln, future teammates in the professional team.^[2]

Flamengo

On 9 March 2019, Vinícius debuted in the professional team playing in the final minutes of a Campeonato Carioca 1–1 draw against Vasco da Gama at the Maracanã Stadium.

After the transfer of Gustavo Cuéllar to Al-Hilal in August 2019, head coach Jorge Jesus promoted Vinícius to the professional team. The Portuguese coach praised him very much, comparing him to his former player Nemanja Matić.^[3]

On 10 October 2019, Vinícius played his first Campeonato Brasileiro Série A against Atlético Mineiro at the Maracanã Stadium, replacing Reinier in injury time; Flamengo won 3–1.^[4]

Lommel

On 25 August 2020, Lommel signed Vinícius from Flamengo for a fee of €2.5 million.^[5]

Mechelen (loan)

On 1 July 2021, Vinícius joined Mechelen on a season-long loan.

Espanyol (loan)

On 8 July 2022, Vinícius joined Espanyol on a season-long loan.^[6]

Sheffield United

On 9 August 2023, Vinícius signed a four-year deal with Sheffield United.^[7] He made his debut for the club on 12 August, coming on as a substitute in 1–0 loss against Crystal Palace in the Premier League.^[8]

VfL Wolfsburg

On 5 July 2025, Vinícius moved to Germany and joined Bundesliga side VfL Wolfsburg for an undisclosed transfer fee.^[9]

Career statistics

As of 24 May 2025^[10]

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			National cup[a]		League cup		Continental		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Flamengo	2019	Série A	3	0	0	0	–		0	0	1[b]	0	4	0
	2020		0	0	0	0	–		0	0	4[b]	0	4	0
	Total		3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	5	0	8	0
Lommel	2020–21	Belgian First Division B	18	0	1	0	–		–		–		19	0
	2022–23	Challenger Pro League	0	0	0	0	–		–		–		0	0
	Total		18	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	19	0
Mechelen (loan)	2021–22	Belgian First Division A	32	2	3	0	–		–		–		35	2
Espanyol (loan)	2022–23	La Liga	34	1	3	0	–		–		–		37	1
Sheffield United	2023–24	Premier League	36	1	2	0	0	0	–		–		38	1
	2024–25	Championship	35	0	0	0	0	0	–		3[c]	0	38	0
	Total		71	1	2	0	0	0	0	0	3	0	76	1
VfL Wolfsburg	2025–26	Bundesliga	0	0	0	0	–		–		–		0	0
Career total			158	4	9	0	0	0	0	0	8	0	175	4

1. Includes Belgian Cup, Copa del Rey, FA Cup
2. Appearance(s) in Campeonato Carioca
3. Appearances in EFL Championship play-offs

Honours

Flamengo

• Copa Libertadores: 2019^[11]
• Recopa Sudamericana: 2020^[12]
• Campeonato Brasileiro Série A: 2019
• Supercopa do Brasil: 2020
• Campeonato Carioca: 2019, 2020